Singapore Police Arrest 14 Suspects In Football Match-Fixing Probe

Singapore's police have arrested 14 people in an "unprecedented crackdown" on alleged football match-fixing, "seven months after the EU identified the city-state as the base for a sprawling network of well-financed match-fixers that have manipulated hundreds of games in Asia and Europe for years," according to Jeremy Grant of the FINANCIAL TIMES. The move is a sign that "Singapore is moving aggressively on a practice that has alarmed football authorities and clubs across Europe as the number of match-fixing incidents -- most orchestrated by shady networks based in Asia -- has jumped." On Wednesday, the Singapore police and anti-corruption agency said that "they had arrested 12 men and two women in a 12-hour sweep of the island." The individuals, aged between 38 and 60, were being held "on suspicion of being part of an organised crime group involved with match fixing activities." Singapore authorities said the suspected leader of the group and several other people who are "subject of ongoing investigations in other jurisdictions for match-fixing activities" were among those arrested (FT, 9/18). The AFP reported five of the 14, including the suspected leader, "have been detained for further investigations, while the rest will be released on police bail." Police would not comment if Dan Tan, "a suspected Singaporean boss of a major football match-fixing ring, was one of those arrested, saying investigations were still underway." In May, "Tan was charged in Hungary in relation to the alleged manipulation of 32 games in three countries." He is also wanted in Italy in connection with the wide-ranging "calcioscommesse" scandal (AFP, 9/18).